Following Your Lead (a McRoll in the REAL World story)
by sammy1026
Summary: Steve and Catherine share their news with Mary and Aaron.


_Mari & Ilna-Thank you for everything! You guys are the BEST! _

_REAL Worlders-you guys are awesome. Thanks for all the support and encouragement._

* * *

**Following Your Lead (1/1)**

"Well I think we can guess what you've been doing now that your finals are done," Steve chuckled as he and Catherine sat side by side on the couch talking to Mary and Aaron via Skype.

Mary's brow wrinkled in confusion while Aaron just smiled.

"You've got a little smudge of yellow." He pointed to his own forehead.

"Oh." Mary wiped at her forehead to no avail. "I'm painting the bathroom. Joan wanted to help with the last wall and things got a little bit messy."

"It's a pretty color," Catherine said brightly.

"Thanks." Mary beamed. "Aaron helped me narrow it down to three then told me to pick the winner."

Steve smirked. "Smart man."

Catherine elbowed him playfully. "You made a good choice," she assured Mary.

"So, now that we've covered my adventures in decorating why don't you two tell us what's up?" Mary's tone grew more serious. "You don't usually make it a point to arrange a call after Joan is in bed and when Angie is with your folks. So spill."

Catherine looked at Steve who nodded for her to go ahead. "We've made a decision we wanted to talk to you about and we just thought it would be easier if this was a 'no kids' call."

"Is everything ok?" Aaron asked.

"Everything is fine." Catherine smiled reassuringly. "Better than fine actually. Everything is great."

"Then let's hear the details." Mary leaned back in her chair. "I could use some good news while I wait for my final grades to be posted."

"I'm sure you did great." Aaron kissed her on the temple. "When I quizzed you, you had the answers down cold."

Mary blushed slightly.

"Make sure you send us a copy so we can put them on the refrigerator next to Joanie's kindergarten graduation certificate," Steve teased.

"I just may do that." Mary grinned. "Now stop stalling. Back to your news."

Steve couldn't hold it in anymore. "Catherine and I filed an application to become adoptive parents."

"What?" Mary nearly jumped out her seat. "Are you kidding me? That's fantastic!" She bounced excitedly as her face split into a wide grin. "I didn't even know you were thinking about … Oh … I wish I was there so I could hug you both."

"This is outstanding news," Aaron chimed in. "I'm so excited for both of you."

"Thanks," Steve and Catherine said in unison with matching ear to ear smiles.

"When did this happen?" Mary's mind was racing with questions. "When did you decide?"

"When we first started talking about the idea of starting a family several years ago, we considered adopting," Catherine explained. "We talked about all the different options and decided we'd try to conceive ourselves the first time out and of course you know how that ended."

Steve beamed. "With Angie."

Mary and Aaron smiled.

"We weren't even sure at first whether or not we even wanted to have more kids," Steve continued. "We were just enjoying being parents and watching Angie grow."

"People used to ask us all the time when we were having another," Catherine added, "but I don't think either of us really put much thought into it then."

"But lately when people asked," Steve picked up the story, "I realized that even though Catherine and I hadn't really talked about it I did want another kid. Still I think I always kind of felt adoption would be the way to go this time around."

"I'm not getting any younger," Catherine chimed in. "And pregnancy passed 40 can be a tricky thing. Over the last couple of months, I've been kind of toying with the idea of another child and every time I did my mind went to all the kids on the island who need a good home."

"Turns out we were both thinking pretty much the same thing," Steve said.

"Shocking." Mary's expression was deadpan. "The two of you on the same wavelength. Who could have seen that coming?"

"What made you realize you were both thinking of adopting?" Aaron asked.

Steve chuckled. "Actually, it was one of Jacob's classmates when we went to help out at school a couple of weeks ago. Ameera asked me when we were gonna have another baby and it just kind of … well it pushed me to bring it up with Catherine."

Mary's eyes sparkled with laughter. "Is that the little girl with all the advice about gummy bears?"

"That's her," Catherine said.

"So, have you already filled out the initial application?" Mary asked.

"Yes." Catherine could barely contain her excitement. "We turned it in last week. We've already been assigned a caseworker. She told us that her first step is running background checks on both of us including criminal records checks."

"You'll obviously breeze through those," Aaron said.

"Then she wants to start the home study," Catherine continued. "She said if everything goes well, she may be ready to set up our first in-person meeting within the month."

Mary remembered back to the time when she began the process of adopting Joan. She was so nervous that she was going to be told she wasn't a suitable parent and that no matter what the mother's wishes might have been they were going to take Joan away and give her to a better mother. She recalled how nervous she was before her first meeting with her caseworker. She couldn't help but smile softly when she remembered how the woman's upbeat demeanor and supportive attitude put her at ease immediately.

She knew that Steve and Catherine were in a much better position starting the process than she had been, but she also knew that no matter who you are, having someone come into your home and judge your fitness as a parent is tough.

"You two are gonna do great," she said sincerely. "My only piece of advice is make sure you have your paperwork in order and be prepared for them to request things you never even thought anyone would need. They're very thorough. And I mean that in a good way."

"She faxed us over a list of documents we need to start getting together and it's definitely extensive," Catherine said.

"Luckily you guys are about the two most organized humans on the planet," Mary teased. "So, it'll be a piece of cake for you."

Steve grinned. "So far we've been able to get everything on the list but like you said, who knows what else they might ask for."

"This is such exciting news," Mary bubbled. "Another little McGarrett is on the horizon. Have you put any thought into whether you want a boy or a girl? What age are you thinking of? What kind of background?"

"Catherine and I are both kind of leaning towards an older child since they have a harder time finding a home than babies," Steve replied. "But the most important thing to us is that it's a situation that works well for all of us. Angie included. We want her to be a big part of the process. So, a lot is going to depend on what she feels most comfortable with."

"That sounds like the perfect attitude," Aaron said. "My folks work with a lot of families who are going through the adoption process, advising them on the best way to introduce the idea of a new sibling to kids of all ages. I'm sure they'd be happy to answer any questions you might have."

"Really?" Catherine's entire face lit up. "That would be awesome. Not only are they psychologists but they've been through the process themselves. I'll bet they're a virtual treasure trove of information and advice."

"I'll tell them to expect your call," Aaron said.

"So, who else knows? Can I call and squeal with Elizabeth about this new development?" Mary asked.

"So far we've told my folks and Grandma Ang, Carrie and John, and Danny," Catherine replied. "We didn't want to distract you during finals which is why we waited until tonight. I'm gonna tell Lea tomorrow. We're telling Grace this weekend. Also the Allens. After that we figured we'd just mention it to Kamekona and let the island grapevine take its course."

Mary barked a laugh. "That sounds like a good plan." She took a few seconds to soak in the excited looks on the faces of her brother and sister-in-law. "Seriously, I am just so happy for you both."

"Thanks." Steve dropped his arm across Catherine's shoulders. "I just wanted to say .." His voice trailed off as he took a moment to gather his thoughts. "We've watched you guys with Joan and how great you are as a family and how much the three of you love each other and it's a big part of what makes us want to adopt. If we can be half as successful at it as you guys have been, we'll be very happy."

Mary blinked back a wave of tears. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She looked at Aaron who wiped away a tear that had escaped and was rolling down her cheek. She looked back at the screen. "Thank you," she said softly. "That may be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."

Steve cleared his throat. "I meant every word."

After a few more seconds Mary rubbed her hands together and her face brightened. "Ok, so tell me what time you're picking Angie up from your parents because I feel a squee-filled conversation with Elizabeth coming on."

Catherine laughed. "We're headed over there in a few minutes so wait about a half hour and feel free to squeal away."

Mary grinned. "Definitely worth staying up a little passed my bedtime for."

**THE END**

* * *

_Find all our stories (in chronological order!) on our website: marirealmcroll dot wixsite dot com backslash real-mcroll_

_Or in the McRoll in the REAL World community here on fanfiction dot net Find us on Tumblr: mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com_

_You can join our mailing list by emailing us realmcroll at yahoo dot com with: Add me, please! in the subject line. Or just drop us a line to say hi! We love hearing from our readers._


End file.
